Kennedyseat.com meets the candidates: Exclusive email interview with Alan Khazei

The great thing about having the candidates fill out these email interviews is they don't require an excessive amount of typing on my part once they are in, thus giving me great content without further destroying my hand.  Alan Khazei is the second of the Democratic candidates I have interviewed.

You can find Coakley's interview here, and Scott Brown's here.

As a reminder/disclaimer: my goal in reaching out to the campaigns is to try and capture a slightly different picture of the candidates as people and politicians.  I am not asking them about their positions on specific issues because a) I don't have the opportunity for follow up questions, and b) if I want a stock answer I can just look at the website.  Instead I'm trying to gauge their personalities, passions, and sense of humor.

For the time being I will let their answers speak for themselves, and hope readers will weigh in with their thoughts in the comments.

Without further ado, I give you my exclusive email interview with Democratic Senate candidate and Alan Khazei, uncut, unedited, unspun:

KS: As you worked to help pass the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, what did you learn about the political or lawmaking process that could help you in the Senate?

Khazei: I learned a tremendous amount.  Building Coalitions and Empowering Citizens to get involved in the political process is essential to effectively moving legislation in the Congress.

Also, being open to working across the aisle, as Senators Kennedy and Hatch did so effectively on this legislation and other efforts, is important.  I also learned that you have to understand both the “outside” process and the “inside” process and that mastering both and utilizing both is key to moving legislation.  In addition, it is critical to work in partnership with the Administration, as we did with the Obama administration.  And you need to effectively tell people’s stories and engage the media – both locally and nationally.   I also learned that Tip O’Neill was absolutely correct, all politics is local and the one thing that can overcome opposition in Washington is to get constituents in the home state and districts to weigh in strongly with their Senators and Congress people.  Senator Kennedy taught me that no one has all the answers, but together we can find them: bring people together, organize a coalition, find the best solutions together, and make change happen.

On September 11, 2008 I led the ServiceNation event in New York that hosted Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain in their only public appearance together besides the debates. At the event, they both agreed to become original co-sponsors on the Kennedy-Hatch Serve America Act.  After the election, Senator McCain supported the bill, and President Obama made it a key priority to get done in the first hundred days.  The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act received the largest bi-partisan vote for a bill that was opposed by the Republican leadership, of the Obama administration so far.  The final vote was 79 in favor and only 20 opposed.  This success is a tribute to the tremendous movement from citizens, of all backgrounds, coming together for a common goal. That is what this campaign is doing; bringing people together across the Commonwealth in order to solve the toughest problems facing us today.

KS: Other than Ted Kennedy, who would you consider your political role model?

Khazei: I have several important role models.  In addition to Senator Kennedy, who was a tremendous champion and mentor for me, I have been inspired by President Kennedy who asked all of us to “Ask Not” and by Senator Robert Kennedy, who challenged us to join movements that empower the most vulnerable in our society.  Martin Luther King who reminded all of us that America is a dream and that we need to hold fast to the true meaning of our founding creed is another inspiration.  And Gandhi
who challenged all of us to “be the change we seek in the world” is another role model.   President Bill Clinton who reminded us that there is “nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed by what is
right with America” is another role model.  As is Secretary of State Clinton, who as a Senator showed how she could be intensely committed to the needs of her state and her constituents, while also leading on important national and international issues.

(Continued after the jump.)


KS: Recession, war, health care: What is the greatest challenge facing the United States and how can you help to address it?

Khazei: I think it is evident that people in Massachusetts and throughout the country are hurting. That is why I believe that creating jobs and ensuring reliable and affordable health care for all Americans must be a priority for any policymaker today.  Climate change which threatens our very existence on the planet is another tremendous challenge that must be addressed.  We are fortunate in Massachusetts to have the powerful leadership of Senator Kerry and Congressman Markey on this issue and I would be honored to work closely with both of them to finally come to grips with this issue while also supporting the clean energy industry in Massachusetts and pushing a green jobs revolution. The wars in Iraq and especially Afghanistan are particularly concerning to me, especially as we risk the lives of brave American men and women in uniform and these wars drain our financial resources.   Finally the public education crisis is an issue that needs focused attention as too many of our children are not getting the education they need to reach their full potential and compete in the 21st century.

These are all great challenges facing the good people of the Commonwealth and all Americans, challenges that require legislators who can affect real reform. I have a lifetime of experience doing just
that – mobilizing everyday people to change their circumstances and the circumstances of their neighbors. I will bring that experience to the Senate and mobilize legislators and citizens to create real change.

We will not get the change we want until we clean up Washington.  It is too dominated by PACs and Lobbyists and special interests.  That is why I have committed to not take a dime of PAC or Lobbyist money for my campaign.

KS: Politics in America has become unbelievably cynical and fractured.  Can we make it civil again?

Khazei: Absolutely. We have to. My whole life has been about empowering people to put their idealism to work to benefit their communities and our country.  We can do this, but it requires us to look at the debate differently. By that, I mean we must move past the tired debate of ‘big government is the answer vs. government is the problem.’ Tired, old debates like this will no longer suffice if we are to afford our children in this century the same opportunities that were given to us in the last century.  We need a new approach that I’ve described as Big Citizenship. Big Citizenship first means that every single citizen has access to the American Dream.  It also means that each of us needs to get involved in politics, do service and join with others in citizen movements for change.

KS: Given all that has happened to our economy over the past year – do you believe people are more or less interested in public service?

Khazei: As I travel across the Commonwealth, I am hearing the stories and worries of people who have lost their jobs, their homes, their retirement savings or their dreams of a college education.  The 90
percent of us that have jobs, are worried that we may be the next to lose our jobs.  But I am also hearing that people still have an undaunted spirit to come together, work together and overcome our challenges, just as we have throughout our history, beginning right here in Massachusetts.  In addition, people of all ages are responding strongly to President Obama’s and First Lady Michelle Obama’s call to service, which is more evidence that people are committed to public service.  Applications to Americorps and the Peace Corps are at record levels.  And our military, even during a time of war, has had their best recruiting year in the past year in many years.  People are ready to serve and are lining up to do so.  My citizen-led, citizen-energized, and citizen-funded campaign is a clear example of how citizens are getting involved in politics and public service more and more.

KS: What did you take away from your appearance on the Colbert Report earlier this year and would you go on again?

Khazei: It was a riot.  Stephen Colbert is a genius and does a great job representing the right wing point of view.   As a progressive, I felt that I was doing my duty for my country and my beliefs by going on the show.  Being on his show is like getting on a roller coaster and just holding on for dear life to make sure you don’t fall off.  But like a great roller coaster it is also a blast.  I would be honored and excited to go on the show again.  In fact, I’d love to challenge all of the candidates in the Senate Race to a Colbert Debate.

Name the place and the time with Steven Colbert as moderator and I will show up.  I’m sure all of the citizens of Massachusetts will learn something important from all of the candidates.  So, Steven, if you are reading this blog, I say, “Bring it on!”